page_title: Nest
section_title: Dinosaurs
hierarchical_section_title: Nest / Nest builders / Dinosaurs
caption_attribution_description: English: Maiasaura Nest Model in the Natural History Museum of London Español: Modelo de Nido de Maiasaura en el Museo de Historia Natural de Londres Galego: Modelo de Niño de Maiasaura no Museo de Historia Natural de Londres
context_page_description: A nest is a structure built for certain animals to hold eggs, offspring, and, often, the animal itself. Although nests are most closely associated with birds, members of all classes of vertebrates and some invertebrates construct nests. They may be composed of organic material such as twigs, grass, and leaves, or may be a simple depression in the ground, or a hole in a rock, tree, or building. Human-made materials, such as string, plastic, cloth, or paper, may also be used. Nests can be found in all types of habitat.
  Nest building is driven by a biological urge known as the nesting instinct in birds and mammals. Generally each species has a distinctive style of nest. Nest complexity is roughly correlated with the level of parental care by adults. Nest building is considered a key adaptive advantage among birds, and they exhibit the most variation in their nests ranging from simple holes in the ground to elaborate communal nests hosting hundreds of individuals. Nests of prairie dogs and several social insects can host millions of individuals.
context_section_description: From the fossil record, it is known that many, or perhaps all, dinosaurs laid eggs.  Paleontologists have identified a number of features that allow them to distinguish a nesting site from a random clustering of eggs.  Those include regular clustering patterns, the co-occurrence of whole eggs with broken eggs and/or hatchlings, and the occurrence of physical features such as evidence of excavation.
  The Oviraptor nests of Mongolia are perhaps the most famous case of dinosaur nesting.  One specimen was found fossilized atop a nest in a brooding posture, proving the animal had been poorly named (Oviraptor means "egg taker").
  A site known as Egg Mountain in Montana provides exceptional evidence of dinosaur nesting behavior.  The site features dozens of nests each with 20 or more eggs belonging to the Maiasaura.  Juvenile teeth at the site exhibit signs of wear, while the leg bones are not developed enough to walk.  This allowed scientists to conclude that the species provided extensive parental care for its young. It is likely the species covered its nests with sand and vegetation to keep them warm and nested in colonies for increased protection.
caption: Maiasaura probably exhibited great amounts of parental care.
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